If you’ve ever shopped for gifts for grandparents, you’ve undoubtedly seen the kitschy phrase “The Best Parents Get Promoted to Grandparents” or “The Best Dads Get Promoted to Grandpa” or something similar. No doubt, Sts. Joachim and Anne were special. From the beginning of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s life, they took special care to protect Mary and to raise her to love God. They brought her to the Temple to be blessed and consecrated. It appears they did everything right as parents ..read more

Saint Veronica, by Hans Memling, c. 1470 (Wikipedia) Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. — Matthew 25:40 In Christianity, we refer to our sufferings as “crosses.” We all have crosses to bear, some heavier than others. But how often do we consider the need to help others carry their crosses? There was Simon of Cyrene, who physically carried the Cross for Jesus during His journey to Calvary. And there was Veronica, who emerged from the crowd to offer a simple gesture of kindness toward Jesus, Whose face was dripping with sweat and b ..read more

St. Josemaria Escriva (Creative Commons) Don’t say, “That person gets on my nerves.” Think, “That person sanctifies me.” —St. Josemaría Escrivá* Do you have people who “get on your nerves”? Of course you do. We all do. But if you’re trying to grow in love of God and get your family to Heaven, you’re going to have to change the way you think about those people. St. Josemaría Escrivá is a perfect saint to go to for help in our everyday journey toward holiness. He was a priest who founded Opus Dei, a global apostolate that helps Catholics answer the call to ordinary holiness. He taught that every ..read more

Holy Week is hard, especially for tired parents. Here’s why you should do your best to make the most of this important week. But first, a story: Last year, during Holy Week, our kids had come down with a bug. It wasn’t too serious – fevers for a day or two, followed by nausea and an upset tummy. Dave and I decided it was best to keep the kids home, but since the adults were “asymptomatic,” we still wanted to attend SOME of the Holy Week liturgies, albeit at the lesser-attended nearby parishes, and with an abundance of hand sanitizer and distance. As I was getting ready for Mass on Holy Thursd ..read more

Our friend, Fr. Peregrine wrote and illustrated this precious book! *This post contains links to EWTN Religious Catalogue. I do not receive commission for using this link or for sales generated from this link. *This post does not contain affiliate links and is not a paid promotion or ad. There are countless children’s stories out there. Why should we care so much about exposing our kids to the stories of the saints? Well, I’m going to use St. Philomena (the story, as told by Fr. Peregrine Fletcher) to make a few points: They’re genuinely good stories. St. Philomena was a Greek princess who w ..read more

*This post does not contain affiliate links and is not a paid promotion or ad. When Fr. Peregrine Fletcher, O. Praem. sent our family a complimentary preview copy of “The Snail and the King,” we immediately fell in love with it! The book’s official release is March 19, and you can pre-order now to get it in time for Easter. And, while there are countless parent influencers on social media who make money off affiliate links and ads, I am not getting paid to tell you, parent to parent, that this book is a gem, and makes a perfect gift for your kids’ Easter baskets – or for birthdays – or baptis ..read more

St. Therese of Lisieux – Wikimedia Commons He . . . gave me to understand that my own glory wouldn’t be apparent to mortal eyes, that it would consist in becoming a great Saint! . . . This desire might seem foolhardy if one were to consider how weak and imperfect I was, and how much I still am after seven years spent in the religious life, but nonetheless I still feel the same audacious confidence that I’ll become a great Saint. That’s because I’m not counting on my merits, since I have none, but I hope in the One who is Virtue and Holiness Itself. —St. Thérèse of Lisieux* When children are in ..read more

St. Martin de Porres – <a href="http://CAMILOFORE2, CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons Everything, even sweeping, scraping vegetables, weeding a garden, and waiting on the sick could be a prayer, if it were offered to God. —Said of St. Martin de Porres* As parents with young children, we always have dishes to wash, loads of laundry to do, and floors to sweep and mop. In my house, crumbs seem to grow up from the floorboards; even after I sweep, there is always something on the floor! We have shelves to dust, decluttering to do, and toys to put away. No wonder we’re tired parents! Cleaning up af ..read more

The St. Michael portrait that hangs in our living room. We love having holy reminders of our heavenly protectors! The battle against the devil, which is the principal task of St. Michael the Archangel, is still being fought today because the devil is still alive and active in the world. —Pope St. John Paul II In our home, the archangel whose intercession we most frequently implore is St. Michael, through the familiar prayer to him. The presence of evil in the world is palpable. It’s as though the devil enjoys rearing his ugly head because he knows sin is glorified by our society. You can under ..read more

Jesus is the “True Gift of Christmas.” Here are some practical ways to help this truth come alive for your family! There are only a few certain things in life – death, taxes, and Christmas falling on December 25 every year. I’m mostly joking. People have figured out ways to bypass taxes. But Christmas will ALWAYS be on December 25. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to us when the holiday season rolls around at the same time every year – even when it seems like retailers are putting out Christmas decorations earlier and earlier. Knowing the Advent and Christmas seasons are approaching in the next ..read more